It's fine. She repeated the words over and over again as she paced the length of the room. Billy had stayed on the phone with her the entire drive over. Neither of them had said much, but there was something comforting about just knowing he was there, the simple sound of his breath made her feel better—not so alone. He'd told her as he was about to pull into the parking structure and, in her head, she knew cell reception was terrible in that part of the building—but it wasn't her head ruling her thoughts tonight.

Horrible images danced in her brain as she thought about what could have happened. Could Marco already be here? Could he have been there…waiting for him? Would he have anticipated her movements, having lived with her and known her for months? Would he go after her through the people she cared about most—through the people she loved?

She held her breath as her chest grew tighter finally exhaling as she heard the quick rapping on the door.

"Hey." He didn't wait for an invitation as he stepped inside the door and pushed it closed behind him. He turned around to look at her, his eyes full of concern. "What's wrong?"

The bravado was lost on him and she knew it. She sighed as she walked over to the chair in the corner of the room, sitting down slowly as she watched him take a seat on the ottoman in front of her.

"Phyllis," he prodded, "What is it?"

Fighting the tears was a fruitless effort and she felt the first began its journey down her cheek. His warm hand wiped it away with expert precision and she brought her own up to meet it, clasping his fingers within her small hand and holding on for what felt like dear life. "I didn't know who else to call," she admitted, a hint of shame in her voice. "You're the only person that understands this…that understands this part." She shook her head. "I just don't know what to do, Billy."

Billy scooted closer to her, his knees now brushing against hers. He watched her eyes flutter closed as he slowly stroked her hand with his thumb. "You can start by telling me what this is all about. I can't help you if you don't tell me."

She nodded, raising her eyes to meet his. The word made her sick inside—the mere thought of it, let alone letting the sounds come from her lips. She swore to herself that once that man was out of her life she'd never allow him to abuse her again. He'd never invade her home—her thoughts—and certainly not life. And now this….

"It's Marco," she breathed. "He's back."

"Billy…" She followed behind him as he paced furiously around the room. His hands ran through his hair, across the back of his neck, down his face. His entire body seemed to be on edge, clenched fists, tense jaw—a bundle of unrepentant rage. Her hand reached out to touch him as he headed towards the door. "Billy, wait." She flinched slightly as he whirled around, his eyes flashing in anger. "Please."

She watched as his face fell, his eyes softening. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "I just…" He shook his head, trying to contain his thoughts. "I'm not leaving. I'm gonna stay here. Nothing's gonna happen to you. I'll make sure. I promise." He forced another deep breath into his body. "How do you know Marco's back. Did he contact you? Did you call the police?" He reached into his pocket, grabbing for his phone. "We're calling the police right now."

"The police already know," she said quickly as she placed her hand on top of his. "They're the ones that told me."

"Oh…so I'm sure they've got guards out there…watching the entrances and everything in case he tries to come here, right?"

"Not exactly," she said quietly. "Why don't you come in and sit down. I need to tell you what's going on."

Billy took a step back, the anger bubbling back to the surface again. "Wait a minute. You're telling me that police know that Marco is out there somewhere and they don't even bother to put any guards out there? This is a man that tried to kill my brother, that lied and manipulated our entire family, that raped.."

"I know what he did!" She closed her eyes, forcing herself to calm down. Slowly she looked at him again. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to yell…it's just…I don't need to be reminded of what Marco did to me—to all of us. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about. I'd like to pretend that I can put it behind me. I'd like to say that I've moved on, that I've healed, that it doesn't impact every choice I make, everything I say, the way I treat people, the way I treat myself, but it does….and it makes me furious. That bastard still has that kind of power of me."

His hand softly touched her shoulder and she lowered her cheek to brush against his warm skin. "He's not gonna hurt you again. I promise you. As long as I'm alive—he'd have to go through me first."

"That's just it. I want to make sure he'll never hurt anyone again."

Billy nodded. "I'm sure the police are doing everything they can. What did they tell you? Do they have any leads?"

Phyllis took a deep breath. "Yeah, actually they do. Marco contacted Noah. He told him that he's holding Marissa."

"For ransom?" Billy asked. "I mean that's what a guy like that wants, right? Money."

"They think he might want one other thing." She watched as the confusion settled in his eyes followed by the sickening realization.

"You can't be serious."

"It would be completely…"

"Hell no, Phyllis. There's no way you're doing that!" His heart pounded inside his chest as his mind raced through every possible nightmare scenario. There was no way he could sign off on this—no way he could allow her to be used in an effort to smoke out Marco. He turned back around towards her, his eyes pleading with her now. "Do you have any idea what he could do to you? Any idea?"

"The man is a psychopath, Billy. There's no way he's going to release Marissa—even if they give him every single thing he asks for. It's just not going to happen. The police think I'm the one person that might be able to get through to him. If I go to him and talk to him, get him to admit what he did…"

Billy stared at her wide-eyed. This was far worse than he'd ever imagined. "Wait a minute…you're not just talking about trying to get him to surrender. You actually want to be in the same room with him? They want you to talk to him and what? Wear a wire?"

"They'd be right outside the building," she protested, "If anything went wrong, they could get there.."

"Faster than a bullet." The words left his lips before he could stop them and he immediately regretted the statement. His shaky hand touched her face as he stood in front of her. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that, but…" He swallowed hard, the truth in the words becoming harder to deny. "What if something horrible happened and what if they couldn't get there in time, Phyllis? Would it be worth it then?"

She felt the tears sting her eyes again, but she fought for control. "Then tell me what I'm supposed to do, Billy? Am I supposed to sit back and let this man run free for the rest of his life? Let him rent a permanent space in my head for the rest of mine? Because as long as he's out there, I'm never going to be free of him."

"It will get better." His hands rested on her shoulders as he pulled her towards him. There was so much he wanted to say, promises he wanted to make, but it didn't seem like the time. "I'll be here," he whispered.

The burst of air left her lips as she finally relented and allowed the tears to fall. "I know you will, Billy, but you don't understand. I know you want to and I know you're trying, but there some things even you can't understand." She pointed to her head. "What goes on in here, you can't even begin to understand this."

"That's where you're wrong. I do understand. I get it. I get you…and I think deep down you know it." He sighed as she turned away from him. "Phyllis," he whispered, "Please, just listen…"

"You can go now, Billy."

He stood still, watching her. "That's not what you want."

She took a breath, steadying herself, fixing her face and finding her composure. Slowly she turned to face him. "It's exactly what I want. Leave or I'll call security."

"That's fine," he said quietly. "There's actually somewhere I need to be."

Phyllis stood in place until she heard the door close, finally allowing the tears to escape her eyes. Fear and agony were completely different emotions, but she detested them both equally. Both made her feel weak and unstable. Inhaling deeply, she moved to pick up the phone, dialing the numbers as quickly as possible despite her trembling fingers.

"Paul," she said quietly, "Yes…I've thought about it. Send someone over with the equipment. Let's get this done."